Insertable and removable shape restoring press



Aug. 31, 1954 a. c. PERKINS 2,687,763 INSERTABLE AND REMOVABLE SHAPERESTORING PRESS Filed May 3, 1951 (/I/I/I/I/I/I/ 20 1 2 22 26 Bernard 6-Perk/0s IN VEN TOR.

Patented Aug. 31, 1954 INSERTABLE AND RESTOR ING PRESS Bernard 0.Perkins, Sebring, Fla. Application May 3, 1951, Serial No. 224,288

The present invention relates to a novel and a useful invention in theform of a readily insert able and removable internal press, morespecifi-.

salvaged for long and continued use.

It is a matter of common knowledge, especially to citrus growers, thatirrigation pipe sections are subject to damage and distortion. Thesepipe sections are, of course, of different lengths and cross-sectionalsizes and they may range in sections from ten to twenty foot lengths.Itis common in the practices of citrus growers to simply discard damagedpipe sections and, I of course, since these sections run two dollars perfoot and upwards, thoughtless discarding turns out to be an expensiveundertaking. What with materials in the metal fields being underrestriction and shortages ahead, ways and means must be found forsalvaging satisfactorily usable pipe sections. The present invention,therefore, has to do with a long handled insertable and removableinternal-type press which may befed into one end of a pipe section andmoved in a step-bystep manner along from place to place and operated forpurposes of removing dents and. restoringthe pipe section to itsoriginal'shape and proportions.

Expansible and contractible presses are, of

course, not new. In fact, it is not unusual to see used with a malletfor conveniently pounding, hammering, or otherwise removing dents. Thepresent invention relates to a press which is sufficiently powerful, yetof a light duty character, which generates suflicient force and power toremove the dents merely by exerting equalized pressure from the axialcenter of the damaged pipe section.

It is a general object of the invention to structurally, functionallyand otherwise improve upon evolved and produced constitutes one which isnot only simple and eflicient but is such that manufacturers, users andothers will find their essential requirements and needs fully met, andeffectually available therein.

Briefly summarized, the preferred embodiment of the invention ischaracterized by a jack with a detachable long handle whereby said jackmay he slid into the pipe section from eitherend. The

1 Claim. (Cl. 15353) suited for the purposes.

adapter heads on the jack.

Other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from thefollowing description and the accompanying sheet of illustrativedrawings.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, wherein like numerals areemployed to designate like parts throughout theviews:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an end portion of a dented pipesection in need of repair, showing the shape restoring press partlyinserted and ready for operational use;

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the press showing the'for msspread widely apart under the action of the expansible and contractiblejack.

Figure 3 is a perspective view on a suitably enlarged scale to bring outthedetails of construction;

Figure 4 is a cross-section, also enlarged, on the line 4-4 of Figure 1,looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figures 5 and 6 are detailed views showing certain of the essentialdetails of the over-all construction.

a In the drawings the damaged tube or pipe section which is, of course,of bendable stock, is denoted by the numeral 6 and the distortions anddents are denoted at 8. It has been found that by inserting a suitablepress telescopically into one end of the pipe and moving it along in astep-by-step manner and expanding the press, the dents may be pressedout and restored to their original shape and proportions. Many andvaried styles of presses could be employed. The one herein shown isthought to be aptly suited for the purposes intended. Although someother form of a jack might well be employed as the pressure supplyingmeans, a regular scissors type automobile lifting jack has been found tobe best This jack is shown in a unitary sense in Figure 2 and it is heredenoted, in a general way, by the numeral 8. It embodies pairs of uppercrossed links I0 and I2 and pairs of lower crossed links M and H5 andstabilizing auxiliary or complemental links [8 and 20. These areassembled and pivoted together in a well known manner and they areopened and closed under the action of a jack screw 22 which is joinedwith the links by feed nuts 24 and 26, respectively. The feed nut 24 isprovided with a socket member 28 to accommodate a fitting 30 forming apart of an elongate attachable and detachable operating crank or handle32. Here again, the attachable and detachable handle is a well knowncomponent of an automobile lifting jack assembly. It is felt thatinsofar as the jack is concerned, it may be of any suitable constructionbut is preferably a scissors jack with an attachable and detachablefar-reaching handle. In other words, the jack is essential and so is thehandle essential in the over-all combination. It is further desirable touse special adapter heads in this jack construction. The heads are inthe form of spaced parallel rectangular blocks 34 and 36 as shown inFigure 4. These are joined with the links by pivotal connections asat39-38. The shape restoring forms are preferably semi-circular rigidplates and these are duplicates of one another and denoted as upper andlower shape restoring forms 40 and 42, respectively (see Figure 4). Theconcave side of each plate. is preferably provided centrally with acoupling block 44' of the type shown in Figure 6. Suitable reinforcingribs or other elements 46 may be provided. The block 44 has a centraldove-tailed shaped keying rib 4B which is fitted removably in adove-tailed shaped keyway 50 provided in the complemental adapter head34 or 36 as the case may be. The block member 44 and keys and keyinggrooves will be standardized so that the parts will be interchangeable.In the citrus fields there are any number of different sizes of pipesused for irrigation. However, one jack with quick, attachable pairs offorms will serve ordinary field requirements. It follows, too, that itis desirable to employ set screws 52 in the adapter heads to facilitatebinding the coupling blocks 44 with the adapter heads.

It will be seen that the gist of the invention has to do withdiametrically opposite adapter heads Hand 39, preferablyin the form ofrectangular blocks which are connected by links and screw meansconstituting an expanding and contracting jack, preferably one with areadily attachable and detachable long handle. The adapter headsaccommodate the readily attachable and detachable forms 49 and 42. Theseare of different arcuate proportions to accommodate the different sizedpipes encountered in field restoration work.

What. with the problem understood and the construction of the jack andover-all press understood, it is felt that the reader will understandthat the press is normally contracted as shown in Figure 1, and isshoved endwise into the tube or pipe which is to be repaired. Then thejack is Minor changesin shape, size and arrangement of details comingwithin the field of invention claimed may be resorted to in actualpractice, if desired.

Having. described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A readily insertable and removable damaged pipe reshaping and restoringdevice comprising an axially insertableand removable jack screw, nutsoperatively mounted on said screw, link means including a plurality oflinks operatively connected at corresponding inner ends with theirrespective nuts, oppositely disposed heads movable toward and from eachother and carried by the outer ends of the respective links, handlemeans operatively connected with one of said nuts, each adapter headbeing in the form of a rigid block having a lengthwise groove openingthrough its respective transverse ends and providi-ng a keyway, a pairof readily attachable and detachable alongated duplicated arcuateplates, said plates constituting dent removing and shape restoringcomplemental forms, and a coupling member rigidly secured to the innerconcave surface of each plate and contacting and cooperating with theadjacent adapter head, each coupling member having a rib forming a keyand said key being keyed removably in the cooperating keyway, andsetscrews carried by the respective heads and engaging the adjacent keysof the respective coupling members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS EngleAug. 1 1, 1951

